Alan Langlands

Sir Alan Langlands FRSE is principal and vice chancellor of the University of Dundee and former chief executive of the NHS executive in England.

Early career

Robert Alan Langlands (born May 29 1952 in Glasgow) attended Allan Glen's School and graduated with an ordinary degree (ie, a pass without honours) in biological science from the University of Glasgow in 1974. He progressed from NHS graduate trainee through various administrative posts where he drew attention by adherence to the principles of "new managerialism" . He became General Manager of North West Thames Regional Health Authority in 1991. Between 1994 and 2000 he served as the chief executive of the NHS executive in England where he was the Secretary of State’s principal policy adviser for the NHS. In 1998 he received a Knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours list for his services to the NHS.

While head of the NHS, Langlands took the controversial decision to give a monopoly on provision of patient telephone and internet services to Patientline, banning mobile phones and wireless internet fron all NHS hospitals and removing payphones. Four months after resigning from the NHS, Langlands became a director of Patientline.

Alan Langlands lives between England and Scotland and has an official residence, University House, in Dundee.

University of Dundee

On September 1 2001 he was appointed the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee; a position which currently holds. On August 1 2003 he was appointed Convener of the Universities Scotland funding policy group. He currently chairs the development board of the International Virtual Medical School (see IVIMEDS), a collaboration of 37 medical schools in 14 countries committed to making optimum use of new technologies in medical education.

Honours

In October 2001 Langlands was conferred a doctor of the university of Glasgow and in April 2001 he was awarded an honorary fellowship of the RCGP for his contribution to the general medical field for his work with the NHS. He is an honorary professor at the University of Warwick business school and the US Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins University Bioethics Institute. He has also received honorary fellowships by the Royal college of physicians (London), the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow), the Faculty of Public Health Medicine and the Institute of Actuaries. He holds a diploma of the Institute of healthcare management.

He also holds membership of the Health Advisory Board at INSEAD, the External Advisory Board of the Royal College of Physicians and the National Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins University Bioethics Institute.

He has also been awarded the HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Fellowship by the Nuffield Trust.